Duce Staley

At 5-11, 242 pounds, Staley is hard-running, between-the-tackles back who is a load to bring down. He doesn’t have a great burst, and he’s not a threat to go the distance, but he’ll find the holes at the line and exploit cutback lanes when they open. Staley is also a reliable receiver and should improve drastically on the six receptions he had a year ago. Staley got off to a great start last season when he ran for 707 yards in his first seven games, but a hamstring injury reduced him to 41 snaps over the Steelers’ final nine games, six of which he sat out. At press time, Staley claims the hamstring is fine, but with goal line specialist Jerome Bettis likely back in the fold for another season, Staley will again be a between-the-20s yardage back and a receiver out of the backfield.

Couldn’t the Steelers have found a better upgrade to Jerome Bettis? Staley was actually decent last year but never had more than 11 carries in a game, so who knows whether his yards per carry is sustainable in a more demanding role. He’s too old now (29) and was never that good to begin with.

Bidding on Staley's 2002 numbers is probably a mistake, as the Eagles clearly aren't married to him for the long term. In fact, there's no guarantee he'll be the team's featured back on opening day with Correll Buckhalter and Brian Westbrook around. One last item worth noting – Staley scored just 17 touchdowns in his first five seasons, although he didn't play a lot as a rookie and he missed 11 games in 2000 with a foot injury. Staley is a nice pluck if you can get him as your third fantasy back, but hopefully your first two RBs are safer fantasy bets than he is.